WORLD-famous reggae band UB40 are heading to Poole as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations.

The band are due to release their first new studio album in five years in September 2018, before embarking on a nationwide, 38-date tour, including a date at Lighthouse on April 4, 2019.

Titled For The Many, the new album will be the Birmingham reggae veterans’ 19th studio album, featuring UB40 founder members Robin Campbell (co-vocals/guitar), Brian Travers (saxophone/keyboards), Jimmy Brown (drums), Earl Falconer (bass/keyboards/vocals) and Norman Hassan (percussion/vocals), and long-time members Duncan Campbell (vocals), Martin Meredith (saxophone), Laurence Parry (trumpet) and Tony Mullings (keyboards).

Travers said: “Both our new album and the tour are going to be called For The Many, which we adopted from Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party slogan. It is our 40th anniversary, so we are doing forty dates to celebrate that."

Singer Duncan Campbell added: “After ten years of fronting UB40, for us to do an album of our own original material feels like this is the final hurdle for me. The album and its title reflect how UB40 are all in support of Jeremy Corbyn. Both of the songs I have written on the album also reflect this support of The Labour Party.

"We all feel this album is an album going back to what UB40 was all about. We are all excited for everybody to hear the album and looking forward to touring it."

UB40 formed in 1978, naming themselves after the unemployment benefit form, before releasing their debut album Signing Off in August 1980 – considered by many to be one of the greatest reggae albums ever released by a British band.

It was the start of a career that has since seen UB40 have 40 UK Top 40 hit singles and - with sales of more than 100 million records – seen their albums reside in the UK’s Top 75 album chart for a combined period of eleven years, making UB40 one of the most successful British groups of all-time.

Tickets are on general sale now.